Just Being Me
by MaskOfFire
Summary: Kiera Hale was first noticed by Harry Potter when she was 12 years old, waiting for the Hogwarts Express to arrive at Hogsmeade. Now that the war is over, she's got his attention again as a girl who doesn't care that he's the Savior, just that he's Harry. A HarryxOC fic. Part of TC Universe Fics. Sees bits of FredxOC, DracoxOC, SiriusxOC, GinnyxOC, and cannon couples.
1. Prologue

Prologue

**September 1, 1993**

The sun had long ago set on Hogsmeade as the Hogwarts Express pulled into town, full of students for the new school year. But one student was already waiting at Hogsmeade, her bags resting on the ground besides the bench where she sat with her father. She was bouncing in her seat, dressed in the black robes of the Hogwarts uniform, accented with her blue Ravenclaw tie.

"Settle down." Her father told her softly, smiling at his daughter. "You'll be up at Hogwarts in no time."

"I know papa, but I can't wait to see all my friends. It's been so long since I've seen them." She smiled at him, her accent holding just the slightest hint of French. "I'm sure Luna will love to hear about our trip. She warned me of the strangest creatures in France, but we never saw _one_!"

He chuckled lightly, patting her golden curls. "Yes, and I'm sure your mother feels bad for being called away to work."

"It's okay. I know mum is busy at St. Mungo's since we got back last week. I just can't wait till next year, when I can visit home during the Hogsmeade trips."

He opened his mouth to speak, only to shut it when a train whistle sounded in the distance.

"Look papa, I can see it!" The girl exclaimed, standing quickly.

"Settle down child." Her father scolded, though a smile graced his features. "They will be here soon. Do you want me to go?"

She shook her head, hair whipping around her face. "Not yet papa. I still haven't given you a hug goodbye." She smiled softly, opening her arms wide as she went to hug her father.

He chuckled softly, hugging back. "Good luck this year, my sweet Kiera." He whispered before letting her go. "I'll tell your mother you send your love."

"Thank you papa. Good luck with work."

He nodded, standing as he smiled at her. "Your mother and I will be waiting for you at home at the end of the term, but that doesn't mean you should forget to write."

"Of course." She smiled, waving as he walked away. When he was out of sight and the train was pulling into the station, she turned back around to collect her things.

The Hogwarts Express came to a stop in front of her, and, through the window into one of the compartments, her eyes met the emerald green eyes of a boy a year older than her.

And every year since then, Harry Potter saw the girl with the violet eyes waiting at Hogsmeade.

* * *

**So there we are. I plan on putting up a chapter a week or so of each story, but it will be a while before I put up anything from It's Complicated, because I plan on having the two fics run side by side time wise, so you'll always notice a date at the beginning of a chapter, and IC doesn't start until a month after the first chapter of JBM. (and yes, I do like acronyms (: )**. **So, enjoy this very short prologue, the first two chapters (not including this) will be short as well.**


	2. Repairing Hogwarts

Chapter 1: Repairing Hogwarts

**May 5, 1998**

Kiera Hale closed her eyes as she reached up, using a worn out binder to tie her gold-brown hair up into a pony tail. Around her, the results of the Battle of Hogwarts had barely improved since the day it had all happened. She remembered it clearly, fighting alongside schoolmates and members of the mysterious Order of the Phoenix. Fighting against Death Eaters at every corner, fighting off giants and spiders bigger than anything she'd ever seen.

The light against the dark. Good versus Evil.

"It all comes down to that." She said softly to herself as she opened violet eyes again to look around her at the destruction that had happened exactly a month ago.

"Comes down to what?"

Kiera turned to the voice and smiled at her father, Taran Hale. "The clichés of life." She said with a shrug.

He smirked. "Always you and the clichés, I swear girl. Anyways, McGonagall wants you to help with reconstruction on the upper floors. You're supposed to meet the group you'll be working with in the Great Hall." He explained.

"Alright, thanks dad." She quickly kissed his cheek before racing down from the second floor to the Great Hall, glad to officially assist in putting the school back together.

A lot had happened in the past few days, since the war ended. Death Eaters had been rounded up left and right, being held until the trials that would begin next week. Kiera and her parents didn't plan on attending any of them, not knowing anyone who'd been convicted of being a Death Eater personally.

And it should have surprised Kiera when she met her group for the reconstruction only to be paired with the Savior himself to work on the outer walls on the fifth floor.

"Well, shall we get going then?" Harry Potter said, turning to her as the rest of their group broke away to do their own tasks.

Kiera gave a small nod and smiled. "Sure."

He gave a soft smile and nodded as well, moving on to start working. Kiera stepped beside him, her own spells adding and strengthening his. "You know, not that it really matters, but I never believed the Daily Prophet over the past few years."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Harry blink and look at her. "What do you mean?"

"About the stuff that was written about you, especially since the Tri-Wizard Tournament. It was all rubbish." She explained, flicking her wand and repairing a window. "I mean, what would you gain for lying about what happened during the final task?"

There were a few moments of silence that followed, causing Kiera to turn towards him with a raised eyebrow. He was smiling softly, head bowed a bit.

"Thanks." He said, looking up at her. It was then that Kiera noticed the slight tint of pink on his cheeks, which he attempted to hide by turning around and start working on the walls again.

Kiera, surprised by the fact that she had made the Boy Who Lived, of all people, blush, smiled softly as she stepped up beside him, adding her own spells alongside his to reconstruct the wall again. "You're really just like any other teenager."

"Not really." She caught him smiling more out of the corner of her eye. "But if you were to take away everything bad that has happened in my life, then yeah…I'd be normal."

"You look normal." She said, biting her lip for a moment in thought. "You're brave, like a true Gryffindor, and honest. I mean really, why would you lie about something like Voldemort returning?" She turned to look at him in time to see the surprise in his eyes.

"You used his name."

A small smile graced her lips as she ducked her head. "One should not fear a name, especially once that with the name is dead for sure." A nervous glance upwards revealed a distant look on Harry's face.

"…Dumbledore once said something along those lines…I can't even remember when."

"Harry…you're free to mourn now. You don't need to hold back any longer." She stepped closer and put a hand on his arm. "You fought so hard for people who went from worshiping you to thinking you a fool when they believed in the true fools. We all lost friends in this war, we all have a right to cry for them. Just because you're a guy and the Savior doesn't mean you can't either."

He watched her, silent and on the edge of tears, before a slow smile appeared on his face. "You know…I don't think anyone has told me it's okay to just let it out…truthfully, I felt like I had to appear strong in front of everyone so they could believe that I was brave and strong, so they wouldn't lose hope."

"Well that time has gone. You're free to put on any emotion you wish." She smiled at him before turning away. "We should move on, before they think we're slacking."

"Yeah." Kiera never saw the smile Harry gave as he watched her, comparing her to every girl he'd ever had feelings for and wonder why this girl, a girl whose name he didn't know, made him so comforted and curious all at once.

"What's your name?" He asked suddenly a few minutes later, as they were clearing away debris from a corridor.

She just looked at him and smirked, moving on without a word.


	3. Learning Her Name

Chapter 2: Learning Her Name

**May 9th, 1998**

Kiera sighed. For the past four days she hadn't been put into Harry's group again, and she had to admit spending a day with the boy was funner than she'd thought it would be. He wasn't the stuck up celebrity the Prophet (even though the thing was as trustworthy as a rat) had portrayed him as being. Part of Kiera knew that if she got to spend more time with the Boy Who Lived, they'd become pretty close. Most of her life at Hogwarts had mostly been spent in the shadows, but she had learned that that was the best place to learn about others. She had watched the goings-ons of the school for six years now, and though she didn't know what she wanted to do with her life, she knew she would never want to leave Britain.

So on the fifth day after meeting Harry Potter, when they were placed in the same group to restore part of the sixth floor, she couldn't help but smile again at her luck. And her smile grew when he looked at her and smiled.

"Guess I get another chance to find out your name." He said after walking up to her.

* * *

As the fates would have it, Harry and Kiera were paired together, again, to work on a corridor on the sixth floor. Surprised that the boy wonder wasn't persistent about finding out her name the moment they were alone, Kiera watched home out of the corner of her eye.

She knew this was the corridor where the infamous Room of Requirement was, but she did not know the events that had taken place in said room during the battle.

"You okay Harry?" She asked, voice so quiet, it was almost as if she was afraid to break the silence.

He looked at her and smiled weekly. "Nearly lost my life in this corridor, nothing much."

Kiera frowned softly and stopped in her tracks before grabbing onto his wrist. "Last time I told you you don't have to hide your feelings, so don't feel ashamed of anything that happened. You can tell me."

He looked at her for a long, silent moment before looking away. "When I went out to the Forbidden Forest to meet Voldemort...he killed me."

She breathed in deeply and held it for a few moments. "...you can tell me about it." She told him. "If you want."

He chuckled softly and looked at her, a slight smile on his lips. "Are you my therapist now?"

She laughed softly, shaking her head. "In the wizarding world, we call them Mind-Healers." She pointed out, smiling at him. "And no, I'm not. I'm just okay with listening to what others have to say. Luna Lovegood says it's a quality of a true friend."

Harry blinked. "You know Luna?"

"We're in the same year and house." Kiera told him, pulling her wand out of her pocket and sending a pile of rubble back into it's original form of a wall. "I know Ginny Weasley a bit as well."

"Oh." He nodding slightly.

Kiera looked at him again and smiled ever so slightly. "You almost sound worried that I know your ex-girlfriend, Mr. Potter."

She watched as a blush rose to his cheeks and he began to fumble for an explanation. She could only make out a few words, hearing him say something about "cute" and "interesting". She shook her head in amusements and stepped closer to him. He fell silent when her hands cupped his cheeks.

"We have only really known each other a few days. Though I do find myself thinking you yourself are interesting, I like to get to know someone before I get too close." She told him, smiling softly.

He watched her for a moment as she watched what looked to be some sort of battle of emotions go on in his emerald eyes.

"Go out to dinner with me." He said suddenly.

She blinked in surprise before letting her hands slip from his face to his chest. "That was a bit sudden...but sure." She smiled.

* * *

"So...you think I'm cute?" Kiera asked about an hour later when they were nearly done with repairing the corridors they'd been assigned. She smiled as Harry's cheeks turned red for the seventh time that very day.

"Maybe a little?" He muttered, obviously too embarrassed to look at her.

She giggled softly and took his hand in hers, causing him to stop walking and look at her. "If it helps at all, you're quiet the looker yourself."

He smiled back. "So...can I at least learn the name of a girl I'm taking out to dinner?"

Kiera blinked before laughing lightly, taking her hands off Harry altogether. "Oh how clever. Yes, I guess you may...my name is Kiera, Kiera Hale."

He smiled widely. "It's nice to meet you, Miss Hale."

* * *

**Sorry these first few chapters have been so short! I promise the next one will be longer! Here's a sneak peak for you that lets you see what happened to Alexis in Twin Catastrophy (which will be further explained throughout the next few chapters):**

_"I am so sorry Kiera, but I have to go." Harry said suddenly, standing up from the bench.**  
**_

_Kiera frowned and stood as well. "Is everything alright?"_

_"No." He looked at her and swallowed. "It's Alexis, she's like a sister to me. She's been in a coma since the battle, got hit with several spells at once and no one knows what. It sounds like something happened, I have go check up on her."_

_Kiera blinked and nodded, kissing Harry on the cheek. "Go. My mom's a healer, I'll see if she can help at all."_

_Harry looked at her and smiled. "Thank you." He hesitated for a moment before apparating away._


	4. The Almost Dinner

Chapter 3: The Almost Dinner

**May 12, 1998**

To say Harry was excited for dinner with Kiera that night was putting it lightly. The day before he had begged Hermione to help him pick out a decent outfit, saying he would buy something if he had to (he ended up buying a shirt). So when he arrived at Hogsmeade at 6:30, he was dressed in a pair of nice black jeans and a button down emerald green shirt that Hermione said accented his eyes nicely.

It was only moments later that he heard his name being called. When he turned, his greeting caught in his throat. Keira was walking towards him in a simple, yet elegant sundress of a dark, shimmery blue that made the violet color of her eyes pop. Her golden brown hair was down, unlike the times at Hogwarts where she had it up in a simple ponytail.

"You're early." She said, smiling brightly at him. "Then again, so am I."

He smiled sheepishly, finding his voice. "I was...a bit nervous."

Kiera smiled. "I am too." She said, then took a step closer to him. "So where are we going?"

* * *

Keira smiled shyly as she sat in her seat. The place was nicer than she was expecting, but she didn't really mind. There was quiet music in the background and the waiters were in black tuxes.

"I thought a place like this would be quieter." Harry explained after their waiter left to get their drinks.

"Muggle?" Keira asked quietly and smiled. "Makes sense. I can imagine our...circle doesn't really want to leave you be just yet."

"I can't even walk down Diagon without someone asking me for an autograph."

"Sounds fun." Keira laughed. "People just don't seem to understand that everyone needs their space, even war hero's."

Harry blushed softly and smiled. "I'm no hero..."

She blinked, looking at him. "Why do you say that?"

"People died that day. A lot of people I cared about are gone because I couldn't defeat Voldemort quicker. You remember an old Defence Against the Dark Arts professor we had, Remus Lupin? Well he has a son that isn't even a year old and he'll never get to know his parents, just like me, and I know exactly how he's going to feel as he grows up."

"Harry, we were at war because of Voldemort, not you. That bastard is the cause of all this and you did so much to make sure so many people could live. Don't blame yourself for those who died. They knew what could happen to them if they fought that day, and that wouldn't be any different if that battle happened on a different day. Is it a shame that they died? Of course it is, but it is not your fault."

Harry stayed silent for a few moments, then smiled sadly. "How the bloody hell do you know exactly what to say to make me feel better?" He asked.

Keira smiled back. "Maybe I just have a way with words."

He chuckled. "... I'm not so hungry anymore...do you mind if we skip dinner and just go for a walk?"

She smiled more. "Not at all."

* * *

Keira shivered slightly against the cool night air and smiled as she and Harry walked into an empty muggle park not far from the restaurant where they almost had dinner.

"You know, it is bit of a shame we didn't at least get something to go." She said, looking at him. "They probably had really good food."

He smiled and looked at her. "Then maybe we can go there on another date…if you want."

She smiled brightly back. "I'd love to."

Harry's smile grew and a faint blush touched his cheeks just as he took her hand and led her over to a bench. They sat side-by-side in a few moments of silence, Kiera observing their surroundings as Harry watched her. He smiled softly and gave her hand a gentle squeeze, causing her to turn her head to look at him and smile.

"Hmm?" She hummed.

"Thank you."

"For?"

"Cheering me up back there." He said. "You really do have a way with words."

"Like I said before, Luna says I'm a spectacular listener. I was always the one my friends would go to if they have a problem, because I would listen to what they had to say and give them my opinion on what they should do. It helps to get an outside opinion on things." She told him. "In fact…Ginny Weasley came to me once to ask about what she should do about you."

Harry blushed. "Oh?"

Kiera nodded. "She was still dating that Dean guy then, but said that things didn't look like they were going anywhere, especially since she still had really strong feelings for you." She looked ahead of them. "I didn't know you very well back then, but there were a few times where I would see the two of you acting around each other and I had a feeling you felt the same way about her. I told her to do what she needed to do with Dean, and if things ended, she should realize that it is partly her fault for dating someone when she had feelings for another. And if she was lucky, you'd finally get the guts to do something about the connection between you two. Only now do I realize that maybe it wasn't the love I thought it was when I saw the way you looked at her."

Harry blinked. "A great listener and a keen-observer. No one can pull the wool over your eyes, can they?"

Kiera smiled proudly and looked at him. "Of course not." She watched him for a moment. "So is that why you broke up with Ginny? Because you loved her like a sister, not like a woman?"

He shook his head. "I actually broke up with her to keep her safe, and that was at Dumbledore's funeral. After the final battle, we got a moment to talk about it and, after having an entire year to think about it, I told her it wasn't fare to her to try to keep something going on between us that wouldn't amount to anything. I told her I wanted her to be happy, but if we kept on as we had before, she'd just end up with a broken heart, and I couldn't do that to her."

"Well you did the right thing."

"She's angry as a wet cat right now." Harry said. "All hisses and claws. Can't even be in the same room as me for long."

"That sort of thing happens when a relationship ends." Kiera said. "And you bounced back awfully quick." She raised their hands to emphasis her point.

He blushed lightly and smiled. "Like I said, I had a whole year to think about what I felt for Ginny."

Kiera smiled back and opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by the hoot of an owl overhead.

They both looked up and spotted a large barn owl swooping towards them, an envelope in its talons. Flying over their heads, the bird dropped the envelope to land on the bench between them. It was addressed to Harry, making him frown.

"Who'd know you'd be here?" Kiera asked.

"The only person I told on where I was bringing you was a friend of mine. Something must have happ-" And suddenly he was grabbing the envelope and ripping it open in his haste, an urgent look suddenly on his face as he began to read.

The letter must have been short, for in a few moments he was standing.

"I am so sorry Kiera, but I have to go." Harry said suddenly.

Kiera frowned and stood as well. "Is everything alright?"

"No." He looked at her and swallowed. "It's Alexis, she's like a sister to me. She's been in a coma since the battle, got hit with several spells at once and no one knows what. It sounds like something happened, I have to go check up on her."

Kiera blinked and nodded, kissing Harry on the cheek. "Go. My mom's a healer, I'll see if she can help at all."

Harry looked at her and smiled. "Thank you." He hesitated for a moment before apparating away.

Kiera stood there for a few moments in silence before taking a deep breath and turning on the spot, concentrated on her home in Hogsmeade.

* * *

**So this is the last of my pre-written chapters. I've already started on chapter 4, but now there may be a week where I have too much stuff going on to get one up every Monday. Monday will still be my goal, but if I have a busy schedule one week, that week's chapter might not get up until Tuesday. I will do my best. It'll get a little easier once I have _It's Complicated_ going as well, which you should see in about another week or two. But then I can switch between the two stories, since they run side-by-side. Any time there are chapters from IC and JBM that happen on the same day, they will be published to the site together.**

**Right now it looks like this fic, JBM, will be somewhere between 25-30 chapters. Things will soon pick up on the Harry-Kiera bit, but there are also going to be a few bumps in the road along the way (mainly a family member of Keira's). There's also a twist that I plan on revealing around chapter 10 for this fic, something that will surprise many of you (especially since none of you know Keira's lineage, though that will be revealed pretty soon here).  
**

**Now, for those who've been with me since the beginning of TC (those who haven't, go read it if you want to know more about who Alexis is), here's a few things that you maybe curious about that I left open in TC and about what chapter you may see this in(though these are just rough estimates so far):  
**

**1) Oliver gets a girlfriend (chpt. 13)  
**

**2) Reika (Alexis' mom) and Sirius reveal some major news (chpt. 8)  
**

**3) George gives his blessing in the form of something peculiar (chpt. 9)  
**

**Happy reading and see you next week!  
**


	5. Hope

Chapter 4: Hope

**May 12-13, 1998**

Contessa Hale knew many things. She knew she loved her husband and three children. She knew her Italian family had disowned her for merely falling in love with a man who wasn't as Italian as herself, pureblood or not. She knew she preferred rags over riches, another reason why her parents had disowned her, for her husband wasn't a rich man in the least.

Most of all, she knew that she loved helping others. She'd known it since she was a little girl, bringing home injured animals to bring back to health before letting them go. Tessa knew she was meant to be a healer for as long as she could remember. Besides her family, being a Healer was the thing she lived for. She did her best not to bring her work home, even if it meant staying at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries longer than she needed to. She also did what she could not to get her family involved in her work. Which is why she was surprised when her youngest daughter asked for her help with a patient at St. Mungo's.

Tessa had heard about the Cooper case, for it was a sad one indeed. It was rare for such a case to happen, for the curses and hexes had to hit the victim in the same instance, otherwise there was the chance that one curse would cancel out another. Few made it through such cases, depending on the spells that had hit. And there were many times that it was nearly impossible to tell what spells and how many were affecting the victim.

In the case of Alexis Cooper, it was a challenge indeed. But Tessa Hale was known for loving a good challenge.

* * *

Keira went straight to a dark haired boy when she and her mother entered, causing the older woman to raise an eyebrow. When she recognized the boy as Harry Potter, Tessa had to smile. Her husband had told her about the budding friendship between their daughter and the Boy Who Lived Twice. Up close, she could see that there was more than just friendship growing between the two.

Tearing her eyes away from her daughter, Tessa looked at the other people of the room. A young woman with dark red hair lay in a magically induced coma. This girl could only be Alexis Cooper. Two people sat beside the bed. One was a young man with flaming red hair who held Alexis' hand. He hadn't even looked up when Keira and Tessa had walked into the room, which told Tessa that at the very least, the young man was Alexis' boyfriend. The other person sitting next to the bed could be no one besides the girl's mother. Many knew the name of Reika Cooper, an excellent Quidditch broom maker whose name was known internationally. Her hair was the same dark red as her daughter's, though it was unknown if the two shared the same hazel-blue eyes that stared at her now.

"Mrs. Cooper, I assume." Tessa said formally, nodding to the woman who was a few years younger than herself.

"You're not Healer Costello." Reika said, standing to walk over to her.

'That's who's on this case? Poor child.' Tessa thought as she offered her hand for a quick handshake. "My daughter asked for me to look at Alexis' case, I assume for Harry Potter since he's here. Keira knows I have looked at cases like this and asked if I could do what I can to help."

"You've dealt with similar cases?" A voice said from the area of the bed.

A sad look passed over Reika's face before she turned to the young red-haired man that still held Alexis' hand, only now he was looking at them.

"None to this severity, but yes, I've seen many cases quiet similar to this." She explained.

He nodded. "It's better than nothing." He said and sighed.

"Fred, she'll be fine, Alexis is a fighter." A young man identical to the depressed man, Fred, said, walking over to his twin. "She'll make it through this."

Fred sighed deeply and closed his eyes. The room went silent for a few moments.

"Can you help her?"

Tessa looked into the emerald green eyes of the Savior of the Wizarding World. "I'll do everything in my power to help." She told him and the others in the room that were looking at her expectantly.

* * *

About an hour later, Tessa sat in her office going over Alexis Cooper's file. They had identified three of the spells affecting the girl and suspected there to be at least two more. It was shocking exactly how many spells would be killing Alexis if it were not for the magically induced coma that basically froze the young woman's very breathing, but still allowed her to live.

A knock on the door broke the experienced healer from her thoughts. "Come in." She called, closing up the file and putting it into a desk drawer. When she looked up to see who had entered her office, she frowned slightly. "Healer Geadias."

"Charming as always Hale." The young woman smiled. At 18 years of age, Lennox Geadias was the youngest Healer at St. Mungo's. Then again, she wasn't a witch. "You really have something against wiccans. What did we ever do to you?"

"It's nothing personal. I just have a general dislike for your methods." Tessa said with a sigh. "Now why are you here?"

"I hear you've taken on the Cooper case. I must say I'm surprised, you know that if you don't get any results, they'll just call me in for a different approach." Lennox smirked softly, mischief in her deep blue eyes. "It's only a matter of time."

Tessa sighed. "This is another reason why I don't like you Lennox. For someone with only two years of experience, you're very cocky."

"Those who bring results have a right to be cocky." The younger woman told her with a smirk. "See you in the next month." She added before leaving the office.

Tessa sighed and closed her eyes, leaning back in her office chair. She knew this case would be a challenge. It didn't help that Lennox Geadias, a cocky young woman who used runes and talismans to heal, had taken interest in her case.

And what Tessa hated the most is that she knew that Lennox could be right. She may have to rely on the younger woman to help her with Alexis Cooper's case.

* * *

**For the questions you may have, I may just have the answers. 1) Where is Sirius? Due to the issues that forced Sirius into hiding after Prisoner of Azkaban, Sirius is still not completely considered an innocent man. He will be acquitted (is that right?) of the crimes he was originally charged with withing the next few chapters, so no worries there. 2) Who is Lennox Geadis exactly? Well, she wasn't originally going to make an appearance yet, but I felt that with how she's going to be later introduced, you guys may want to get a little sneak peek into her part into the story. I know this wasn't the best first impression for her, but she's not really as cocky as she appears so far, just fairly confident. And yes, you'll be learning more about wiccans soon enough. 3) Will Alexis make it? Now that is too much of a spoiler!**

**Also, I'm hoping to do a double-upload the week of Valentine's day, partly to make up for the fact that I didn't do an actual Christmas special. Hopefully it'll be one chapter of _Just Being Me_ and the prologue of _It's Complicated_. One can only hope!**


	6. Fan-girl

Chapter 5: Fan-girl

**May 24, 1998**

It had started just after their second date. Keira had mentioned wanting to look at the new brooms that were on display in Diagon Alley, but hadn't had the chance lately. So the couple had gone to the Quidditch supply store only to be swarmed by reporters on their way out. The following day every paper from the Daily Prophet to Witch Weekly had claimed that Keira was almost everything from a boyfriend stealer to a gold-digger. It had Harry seeing a whole new side of Keira as she ranted about idiotic reporters who just wanted to fill the world with meaningless gossip. She only calmed down when Harry showed her an article from the Quibbler about the truth behind their relationship, leading to Keira announcing she'd kiss Luna the next time she saw her friend. Their next two dates were much quieter as they avoided the Wizarding world in favor of simple dates in the muggle world.

After their fourth date, which was more of just a simple walk, they headed back to Grimauld Place to make dinner together. It was the first time that Keira had been there, Harry explaining as their prepared to start cooking why he'd ended up staying here.

"Sirius gave it to me after he got back on Reika's good graces." He explained, dumping chopped onion into a bowl. "This place was still being used as headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix up until Dumbledore's death. Then we couldn't take any chances because of Snape, but at that point we didn't know he was a good guy."

"I still can't wrap my head around the fact that Dumbledore planned all of that." Keira said, scooting up right next to them so they were standing hip to hip.

Harry smiled and wrapped an arm around her, kissing her cheek. She smiled back before stealing a bit of onion. Though it had been half a month already, they had yet to kiss, no matter how much teasing there was going on between the two.

"Neither can I." He said. "But the war is done with. I'm ready to start relaxing for the first time in seven years."

"I can imagine." Keira smiled more, then hesitated before looking at him again. "You ready for the funerals next week?"

He blinked and frowned. There were several people that had died during the final battle of the war that Harry knew. Only just the other day he'd gotten a Ministry sent notification of all the funerals that would be going on over the next two weeks. After the funerals the trials would begin, and Harry had to prepare for those as well. He'd been asked to attend a few of the trials in order to speak against some of the Death Eaters. And despite everything, he knew he'd be shocking a number of people when he spoke up for Draco and Narcissa Malfoy. The news had shocked all of those he told, but when he explained why, they had let him be.

"I'm more worried about the trials really." He admitted to the young woman standing next to him.

She smiled softly and leaned her head against his shoulder. "You're going to cause so much shock." She told him. "Shake the Wizarding world to its core. Before you know it everyone is going to worry about you becoming the next Dark Lord."

Harry groaned. "Don't even joke. Hermione's already warned me about that. I'm hate the way people fall at my feet claiming to love me, it'll only be worse when they're falling to the ground to kiss my shoes and beg for mercy."

Keira laughed and turned him to face her by tugging at a belt loop on his jeans. "I don't know, seeing you all badass would be kind of sexy. Just don't go all snake-faced on me." She said, tweaking his noise playfully.

"Oh I don't plan on it." He grinned.

She looked up, violet eyes meeting emerald ones, and smiled softly before her eyes flickered down to his lips for a split second, almost as if she didn't want Harry to notice. But he did notice and he hesitated a moment before leaning in and kissing her.

It was hesitant and slightly awkward on both ends for a few moments before Harry tested the waters by kissing a bit deeper. Keira opened her lips in a silent gasp of approval as his teeth grazed her bottom lip. She gave his upper lip a slight nibble before pulling away.

"About time." She breathed before they both laughed, Harry's ears slightly red. "Now let's get to cooking. I'm getting hungry." She added, kissing his chin before going back to the food.

Harry smiled, watching as she started washing potatoes in the sink by hand.

* * *

After dinner the two sat in the newly upgraded drawing room of Grimauld Place. The room had been cleaned out completely before the walls were painted a sandy tan that made Keira think of the beaches of Spain. The floor was replaced with a dark hardwood with matching baseboard and crown molding. With the help of Mrs. Weasley, Hermione, Keira, and some home magazines, they were able to refurbish the room to make it a welcoming room, since the drawing room had the only fireplace connected to the Floo Network. It was one of the few rooms that Harry was comfortable being in, besides the kitchen and Sirius' old bedroom, which he had cleaned out and sent the contents to Sirius to do with as he wishes.

The couple was cuddled up on a plush settee of dark brown, two mugs of tea sitting on the coffee table before them. They were enjoying the quiet of the evening, talking of the trials to come.

"And I'll tell them about what happened in the forest after Voldemort killed the sliver of his soul that was in me, when Narcissa lied about me being dead. She saved my life, the least I can do is give her a chance to stay out of Azkaban, even without the dementors." Harry explained, a hand absently tracing small circles on Keira's arm.

"And with Draco there was the fire in the Room of Requirement and the events in the Manor." Keira said softly.

"Mmhmm." He nodded and sighed. "I feel a little bad knowing I can't do anything for Lucius Malfoy."

Kiera blinked and looked at him. "Harry, there's no way you can say anything that's true that would be in that man's favor."

"I know, but I feel bad because a family is being separated. I know there's nothing I can do, but it's bad enough with how many families are broken as it is with the war. It would be nice if at least one family didn't have to be broken." Harry explained.

Keira smiled softly and kissed him for a moment. "People underestimate the goodness in your heart Harry. After all the stuff you've told me these past few weeks, I still wonder at times how you didn't turn out just like Riddle. You have no idea exactly how happy I am that you're you."

Harry smiled widely, and with a surprised squeal from Keira, he suddenly had her pinned to the ground between the settee and coffee table, mischief in his eyes.

"I'm so glad you're not a fan-girl." He said, kissing the corner of her mouth.

She giggled. "I am, just a different sort of fan-girl."

"Oh?"

Keira smiled up at him. "I'm a fan of Harry. All those other girls are fans of the Boy Who Lived Twice, the person the Prophet makes you out to be."

Another smile slowly spread over Harry's face before he leaned down and kissed her deeply, humming happily.

* * *

**Again a little later than usual, my apologies. For next week's schedule, as a special Valentine's Day treat for all of you, I'll be uploading the next chapter of _Just Being Me_ on Monday, as usual. On the 14th (Thursday) I will be uploading the Prologue AND first chapter of _It's Complicated_. There will be a link to the prologue put up in chapter 6 of JBM on Thursday, so this story will update for you guys. Just jump down to the bottom where I usually put the Author's Notes and you'll see the link when the story updates Thursday. I recommend reading both as there will be a lot of connections between both stories with some bits that I might forget to make sure overlap into both stories.  
**

**Now, for those of you who actually read this part, I'd love to start getting more reviews! They usually make my day like you have no idea, I just love reading reviews (positive or negative). So if you have any questions, comments, or ideas you'd love to see implemented into either story feel free to leave a review. I'll likely reply to it in the next chapter or, if it's something that I feel like letting you know, but don't want to leak it out too much to everyone, I may just send you a personal message. But if anything, feel free to leave a review. I will love you, my readers, even more if you do :)  
**

**Also, there's one fact about Alexis that I realized I never added into the Quick Books version of TC. This is very important for It's Complicated, so READ THIS ONE THING AT LEAST: Alexis is an unregistered animagus. Her animagus form is a russet-red wolf. Again, THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT TO KNOW.  
**

**Now, enjoy your week. I will see you next Monday!  
**


	7. Trial

****THIS IS A RE-POST TO GIVE YOU GUYS THE LINK TO IT'S COMPLICATED, FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE WATCHING THIS FIC AND NOT MYSELF. I RECOMMEND THAT YOU FOLLOW BOTH STORIES BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT THEY WILL BE OVERLAPPING AT POINTS WHICH MAY LEAVE YOU CONFUSED IF YOU DON'T READ BOTH. SO GO HERE: s/9010211/1/It-s-Complicated !****

****Please note that I foolishly did not double check the dates between the last chapter and this one. Instead of two weeks of funerals, there was only a week and a half.****

* * *

Chapter 6: Trial

**June 5, 1998**

The next week and a half left Harry stressed as he prepared for the trials that would start today. The irony was not lost on him as he realized that with all three Malfoys going today, Draco Malfoy must be having the worst 18th birthday in history. The raven haired young man was happy to have Keira besides him for support, for he knew that he needed it today. He would be speaking for only two trials today, his heart not able to speak against Lucius Malfoy when he would be speaking for the man's wife and son. Keira reminded him over the past week that he was doing the only thing he could by speaking for Narcissa and Draco. It still made him completely glad that Keira was like a source of comfort and support that he hadn't had from many people at all in his life.

Lucius Malfoy was the very first trial that day, and in his own way to support the two people he'd be speaking for later, Harry sat outside the door to the viewer's section of the small courtroom, Keira a comforting presence by his side the entire time. They sat in silence, Keira holding Harry's hand and resting her head on his shoulder, and waited.

When the trial was over, Hermione came to fill them in on what had happened. She had spoken against Lucius, having requested to do so by one of the lawyers that was intent on locking up as many Death Eaters as he could. Hermione herself would be speaking up at only 2 trials, which Harry was very jealous of. He had agreed to speak at 5 trials and volunteered for the trials of Draco and Narcissa. In the end, it did not surprise Harry or Keira that Lucius was given a life sentence.

"He would have done himself so much if he had just stayed there when Voldemort broke him and the lot out two years ago." Keira said, ignoring how Hermione had flinched. "None of his family would be on trial today if it wasn't for him."

There were a few moments of silence between the three before Harry sighed. "Narcissa's trial is next." He said softly. Keira squeezed his hand and offered.

* * *

Throughout the trial, Keira kept an eye on Harry, watching as he slowly grew paler as the minutes went buy. Final it came to the part where Kingsley, the new Minister, asked if there was anyone here to speak on Narcissa's behalf. The entire room fell silent when Harry stood, swallowing nervously.

"I will."

* * *

Harry gave a sigh of relief when it was declared that all Narcissa was getting was a year of house arrest with magical restrictions that were to be implemented on her wand shortly after her trial. But when he realized that now it would be Draco's trial, another lump formed in his throat, only this one was larger than the one he had right before he'd spoken at Narcissa's trial.

"Harry, just breathe." Keira said, rubbing his arm. "You did excellent, Draco's trial will not be any different." She took his hand in hers and raised it up to kiss his palm. "You're brave and strong and you can do this."

"I still don't know why you're here." Harry said softly. "Your family was neutral during the war, you kept out of the danger. You have no issues with the Malfoy family."

Keira frowned softly and squeezed Harry's hand. "I never told you about my cousin, did I?"

"You've mentioned him once." He said. "When you told me about your family."

She nodded and sucked in a deep breath before letting it out slowly. "He wasn't exactly involved with a lot of stuff that went on, but he was surrounded by it. You see, he's in Slytherin house, and so many people believed that Slytherin was the breeding ground for future Death Eaters." She paused to shake her head, jaw tensing slightly. "But he wasn't like that. He's one of the best people I know, even though he hides it. My family is labeled as blood-traitors so to protect himself, and his mother, he only spoke to me at school when we were really on our own and we knew no one was around. It sucked, he's my best friend, but I understood. My aunt has a very high seat in pure-blood society, it would be really looked down on if it was known he even looked at me and smiled, let alone talked to me."

"That's horrible." Harry said, looking at her.

Keira nodded, glad she was able to distract Harry for even a few moments from the next trial. They still had a few minutes before it started. "It was, but I'm sure now things are going to be better, with the war over. Things are going to change. Because of you, your friends, the Order…because of so many people, maybe things can have some semblance of normalcy again. And I know you're going to say that you had nothing to do with it, but that's just you being modest, something I adore about you. But you did play a part in it. More than you know. So thank you." She kissed his cheek and smiled at him. "Now do your best. You brought down the evilest man in the Wizarding world only a month ago. You can do this."

Harry smiled softly and gave her a quick kiss before people started to file in again for Draco Malfoy's trial. "Thank you." He whispered.

* * *

The first part of the trial seemed to go slow, much slower than Keira had hoped. She had a few memories of Draco Malfoy from Hogwarts, before the war. She'd seen a pride-filled young man who, though a complete jerk, was more bark than bite. Sure she never really liked him, but her cousin was fond of the blond, despite his horrible attitude.

"He's nice when Potter isn't around. And he's pretty bloody brilliant when it comes to potions. Helped me a lot in fourth year when I was struggling." He'd told her.

But that wasn't the matter. The matter was how he'd been since his sixth year. And all Keira could remember of Draco Malfoy then was a scarred young man who became so lost inside himself he wasn't the person people remembered him to be. It made sense when Harry had told her what was actually going on in Draco's life during their sixth year, but no matter what, she wouldn't pity him. Draco Malfoy seemed like the type that wouldn't appreciate being pitied.

He'd made eye contact with her moments after he fist sat down, a curious glint in his eyes and the briefest moment of recognition. Well, she could understand that. They passed each other in the halls plenty of times throughout the past 6 years or so for him to at least recognize her face, even in passing. And the curiosity she'd seen before he'd looked away could be explained as curiosity to why she sat next to Harry. The majority of the Wizarding World was still up in flames about Harry not returning to Ginny Weasley (a hurdle Keira had yet to jump) after the war had officially ended.

But when it came to Harry's turn to speak, she broke her glance from the blonde sitting below them to look up at him as he stood next to her. A small smile appeared on her face as he spoke easily of the incident at the Malfoy family manor just over a month ago. Keira hadn't been lying when she said Harry was brave and strong. In fact, he was so much more than that. Harry Potter was so many things that it would never make sense for Keira to try to make a list. The fact was, she was slowly starting to fall for this boy wonder. His heart was so pure, despite all the things he's went through. She knew it was suicide for anyone to cross him, he was that powerful. His vanquishing the Dark Lord Voldemort was only proof of that. But that's not was she was starting to love him. She didn't care about power, she cared about kindness, caring, and someone who knew when she needed to smile. And that person was Harry.

She was broken from her thoughts when he sat down and gave her a nervous smile. She smile back, proud of him for doing this, even though so many had asked him why.

"Because Draco Malfoy has only every really hurt me, and I don't care anymore. He never did anything to land him in Azkaban." He would them.

So now Keira tore her eyes from Harry in order to pay attention to the rest of the trial, listening as Hermione retold what had happened at the manor, proving that Draco wouldn't reveal Harry's identity. And for a fleeting moment, Keira felt bad that Ron had refused to help Draco at all. But she shook that from her mind to focus. She could worry about other things later.

* * *

**You have no idea how much my head hurts right now from trying to get through this chapter (and other things) to the point where I'm happy with it. I forget how difficult it is to give out bits of information without spoiling anything major. So, any guesses on who Keira's cousin is? I gave you some information, but I'm not going to reveal who yet. It would be so much easier if you knew exactly what Keira's ancestry is, but you'll find that out pretty soon. In the next chapter in fact, though Keira's cousin won't be officially in the story until chapter 9 or 10.**

**And one thing that you'll notice in the next chapter, which I think I should let you know now, is that Keira is the only one in her family that has violet colored eyes. In fact, the majority of her family has hazel or green eyes. (this bit is a test. If you see this, leave a review or send me a PM with the word "kazoo" in it anywhere and I'll give you something special) There is a reason why Keira is different, but it will take a while for us to get to that. So feel free to let me know what you think, but I'm going to say one thing now: No, it is not because of some creature inheritance. Keira's always had violet eyes, every since she was born. She litterally had bright violet eyes the first time she opened them. She wasn't born with blue eyes, like most babies are, and the color transition to violet. They have never changed. Expect bits and peices as to why this is until the full truth will be revealed. But again, that may take a while.**

**Also, after this things are going to start having slightly bigger gaps in time between chapters (in story). The next chapter will focus on Keira and her family, after that, it'll focus again on Alexis, then it'll be Alexis' recovery and after that their return to Hogwarts (yes, I'm implementing the whole "8th year" thing). Oh, and chapters may also start getting a little shorter, depending on how much I'm going to try to include in each chapter.**

**Enjoy reading, I'll see you all Thursday with the first two installments of _It's Complicated_!**


	8. Meeting the Hale Family

Chapter 7: Meeting the Hale Family

**June 5****th****, 1998**

Late on the day of the Malfoy family trials, Harry was nervously waiting in the drawing room of Number 12 Grimauld Place, likely wearing a line in the rug from his pacing. Keira had come to Grimauld where they had a late lunch before going home to meet her brother, niece, and sister-in-law. Now, after changing into a brand new outfit that Hermione had helped him buy, he was waiting for her floo call to let him know it was time to come over for dinner with her entire family.

Outside of what her parents did, Harry didn't know much about the Hale family. He knew that they were a pureblood family of Irish and Italian decent. Though the matter of Contessa's family wasn't one that Keira liked to talk about, she was adamant about her cousins on the Hale side. It made him curious about what had gone on when Contessa was younger, but he knew that it wasn't his place to ask. Keira would tell him when the time came.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when the flame's in the fireplace turned green and Keira's face appeared. She smiled brightly at him. "Nervous?"

"You have no idea."

She giggled softly. "They won't bite, though Al might try to interrogate you. He's always been over-protective of me and Karissa. It depends on if he likes you or not."

"He's an Auror, of course he's going to interrogate me. Your father too."

Keira smiled and shook her head slightly. "Come over already." She said before her face disappeared.

Harry swallowed the lump in his throat before grabbing a small handful of floo powder and tossing it into the flames. "Hale residence!" He called out, making sure to speak clearly, unlike his incident five years ago.

He steadied himself when he stumbled out of the fire into the quaint drawing room, Keira almost immediately at his side to help soot out of his hair and off his clothes. "They're in the dining room right now. Anna was getting fussy and mother still can't get over the fact that she's a grandmother."

Harry smiled softly at her, resisting the temptation to close his eyes as her fingers carded through his messy locks. Still in the 'honey-moon phase' of their relationship, Harry was at least glad they hadn't had their first fight yet. He'd seen how much Hermione and Ron argued since they started dating right after the war, and at times he worried they'd break it off, no matter how perfect they were.

Once he was soot-free, Keira kissed Harry's cheek and took his hand, leading him out of the room and towards the dining room. Harry had only been here once, and that was for a few uncomfortable minutes where Keira's father, Taran, had interrogated Harry about his intentions dating Keira before said daughter had entered the room and they'd gone off the St. Mungo's to stop by and say hi to Contessa and Fred.

The scene they entered was one of a family that Harry had only really seen at the Burrow with the Weasleys. He smiled softly as Contessa and Alonzo Hale's wife, Nasha, fussed over the one year old Annabeth Hale. Taran and Alonzo himself were sitting at the table, smiling at their women and talking Quidditch.

Contessa was the first to notice them, momentarily distracted from the baby.

"Harry, it's so good you could join us!" She said, crossing the spacious room to give him a quick hug. Through her work trying to help Alexis, Contessa had grown to know many of the Weasleys and Harry himself quiet well.

"Good evening Healer Hale." He said, smiling.

"Oh Harry, it's Tessa outside of St. Mungo's. Mrs. Hale if you must, but no need to use 'Healer'."

He nodded, feeling too embarrassed suddenly to say much.

Keira smiled and tugged him away from her mother and across the room to where Nasha was now bouncing a tearful Anna who was only sniffling occasionally. "Can I hold her Nash?"

"Course." The blond woman smiled, handing the child over to her youngest sister-in-law. "I'm going to go help Karissa in the kitchen." She kissed Anna's head before walking out of the room.

With all eyes on the youngest couple, Harry and Keira smiled at the sniffling Annabeth as Keira bounced her. The one year old looked at Harry, a stranger to her, and reached out with a single little hand. Harry smiled widely when she started to clench and unclench her little fingers in a baby's wave.

"Hello Anna." He said, letting her take a grip of his finger. She examined it closely, using her other hand to spread his fingers and bend them so only his thumb wasn't closed in a fist. She pulled his fingers back out so his hand was spread and brought his fingers to her mouth to start lightly chewing on them, using the section of her mouth that had the fewest baby teeth.

Keira smiled and kissed Anna's head, glancing at Harry out of the corner of her eye. 'He's so sweet.' She thought as she watched him make silly faces in order to get Anna giggle. She laughed when the child did, enjoying how she was starting to bounce in her arms.

"You're very good with children Harry." Tessa commented, now sitting beside her husband and smiling at the two.

Harry blushed slightly but smiled. "I just like kids."

"Well at least you know he'll want kids then Keira." Alonzo laughed, causing them to both turn red.

"We haven't even been dating for a month Al!" Keira said, her face redder than Harry had ever seen it. "It'll probably be another year before we talk about kids at least!"

"Really?" Harry asked, smiling at her.

She blinked and blushed. "We'll see where we're at in a year."

He smiled more and kissed her cheek. They'd talked about how he'd always wanted a proper family, after the things he'd grown up thinking with the Dursley's.

"You two are too young to be thinking about this." Taran said, frowning. "Wait until you're twenty."

"Oh leave them be Taran dear, it's just talk." Tessa smiled.

(pb)

Dinner was filled with chatter and laughs. Sitting between Keira and Tessa, Harry was glad to have the two people of this family who appeared to like him the most on either side of him while they ate and talked. Harry mostly observed throughout dinner. The only two in the family without the same golden hair as Keira were Tessa and Alonzo, who both had ebony black hair darker than his own. Harry assumed that it was the Italian heritage. Little Anna showed that she would be as blonde as her mother, though not the same golden blonde as the rest of the Hale family. Another thing that Harry noticed that the Hale family, Nasha and Tessa not included, had green-hazel eyes. Glancing at Tessa, he saw light blue eyes and wondered how Keira had gotten the light violet color that her eyes were.

"So Harry, are you going to go to Hogwarts for the Eighth Year Program?" Taran asked, snapping Harry out of his thoughts.

"A friend of mine, Hermione Granger, wouldn't let me say no." He said with a fond smile. "But as soon as I got the letter from Professor McGonagall I knew I'd be going back."

"Well that's good!" Karissa said, smiling. "At least he plans on completing his education father, now let the boy be."

"If he and Keira continue to date, it is my business that he at least makes sure he can possibly provide for my daughter. I'll interrogate whatever boy you bring home too." Taran defended, pointing at his second child with his fork. "Now eat your greens child."

That caused a few laughs, Harry smiling as he glanced at Keira, their cheeks both pink.

(pb)

"That went better than I expected." Harry admitted, he and Keira back in the drawing room later that evening.

"Same. I'm glad Alonzo at least took a shine to you." She smiled.

"He nearly caught me on fire during exploding snaps!"

They laughed a bit and Keira smiled at him. "You should go home."

"It's not even 9." He pointed out and smiled.

"Please, for a few moments during dinner I thought you were about to bolt." She said, smiling. "Especially when my father started questioning about kids and marriage."

"Like you said before, we haven't even been dating a month." He pointed out.

"Exactly. We'll jump those hurdles when we get to them." She smiled at him. "At least we'll be able to hang out while getting ready for our NEWTs."

"Very true." Harry watched her for a moment. "Shame we aren't in the same house. We'd be able to spend more time together if we were."

"If I remember correctly, Alexis was notorious for spending most of her free time in Gryffindor Tower, especially after she started to date Fred." Keira pointed out. "I'll visit often, you just have to show me how to get in."

Harry smiled. "Of course." He said, then leaned in to give her a quick kiss. "Good night."

Keira hummed softly, smiling. "Night."

* * *

**Yes, I know, I'm a day late. Better than my schedule had been with TC. I was sick Sunday and yesterday. Outside of getting up to let my dog outside, getting water, bread, or crackers, and going to the bathroom, I barely left my bed yesterday. This gave me no time really (I must have slept 18 hours out of the day yesterday) to do my usual final tweeks to this chapter and get it up. Next chapter will focus on Alexis and a few other things.**

**Oh, and now that you know the heritage of Keira's parents, can you guess who the unnamed cousin is yet?**

**Next week will be a Just Being Me chapter, the week after will be another double upload week where we see about Alexis' recovery. Like last week, it'll be a Monday and Thursday upload days, not too sure yet which chapter will go up on what day. Will let you know more next week :)**


	9. Grief and Possibilites

Chapter 8: Grief and Possibilities

**June 16****th****, 1998**

Those in room 4173 at St. Mungo's were silent. It was how Fred Weasley spent most of his days this past month and a half, with his Alexis looking as though she was in a deep sleep. His twin sat in the chair beside him, a silent, comforting support. His parents had left not too long ago in order to have a late lunch. Fred himself rarely felt like eating lately. He only did it to silence his mother's pleas. It was likely a good thing, but the grief in his heart made simple things seem difficult. Things had remained unchanged with Alexis since she had been admitted. And it pained him.

He rarely left this very room. A cot would appear in the corner around 9 o'clock, after Reika had gone home, as it did every night so he could try to get some sleep. There were few nights where he used it.

So long as Alexis breathed, he had hope. Some doubted that he did, that he'd given up, but these people didn't seem to know Alexis. She was a fighter, everyone who knew her would say that. And Fred knew that every moment he sat there, watching her, she fought to live. He also knew that if he was in her place, she wouldn't leave his side either.

It was with a sigh that he pulled away from Alexis later that night, in order to rest. He hadn't slept for the past few days, and knew he'd likely end up in a hospital bed himself if he didn't get some sleep. Besides, Healer Hale was due to talk to him tomorrow about what might be going on.

* * *

**June 17, 1998**

Tessa was unsure of how she would tell Reika Cooper and Fred Weasley about Alexis' condition. Though the young woman was stable, that was only due to the magical coma. Until they found out what the last final spell was that Alexis had been hit with. As she walked through the halls of St. Mungo's towards room 4173, she went over the words she would use with Alexis' mother and fiancé.

She paused outside the door and frowned for a moment, hesitating before she walked inside. Tessa took a deep breath before walking into the room. Only two were in the room, which made her feel only a little better about talking to them.

"Miss Cooper, Mr. Weasley." She inclined her head and offered a small smile. "I do believe that we were going to discuss Alexis' condition."

"Yes, please, take a seat." Reika offered. "It'll feel less informal."

Tessa nodded and sat down in one of the chairs near Alexis' bed. She glanced at Fred, who nodded a mute greeting.

"Now, as we discussed when I first became Alexis' primary Healer that it was believed that the several spells that had hit her all at once were only four spells total. After some extensive research, we know now that there are at least seven spells that are affecting her. Luckily the magical coma is able to halt the effects of these spells from harming her, and we've been able to identify six of the spells." Tessa started to explain.

"What are they?" Fred asked after a few moments of silence.

Tessa glanced at him before staying, "the first spell is _vivere lapis_, the curse of Living Stone. It was originally meant to replicate the effects of a basilisk, but the effects take much longer to affect the victim and will turn them to actual stone." She paused before continuing on. "The others include more simpler curses that by themselves would be easy enough to deal with, but when combined can have nasty results. The curses and jinxes include the Conjunctivitis Curse, the Entrail-Expelling Curse, the Knockback Jinx, and the Jelly-Brain Jinx."

When no one spoke for a moment, Tessa prayed that neither Fred nor Reika would notice that she had only listen five spells. As it was, luck was not on her side today.

"And the last spell?" Reika asked, her eyes downcast.

"This one will be a bit trickier." Tessa said. "Because of the mix of different spells, it is likely that the effects of this may not be the same as the curse was actually intended to do."

"Just what is it?!" Fred demanded through ground teeth.

Tessa swallowed with some difficulty. "The Lycacomia Curse."

Both Reika and Fred froze. It was completely silent for many long minutes, Tessa herself afraid to break the silence in any way.

"What do you plan to do to heal her?" Fred broke the silence after what seemed like an hour.

"Unfortunately, there is little we can do from here. It is extremely rare for more than three spells to hit someone all at once. We were lucky that Alexis got immediate attention, so that we could have time to recoginize the spells." Tessa said. "But we can't do much unless we know how the combination will affect her."

"But that could mean her death." Reika said.

"I know." Tessa paused and closed her eyes for a moment before looking at the mother of her patient, both regretting and willing to say what she said next. "But there is another way."

* * *

**Yes I know, no Keira or Harry in this chapter, but I thought I would truly focus this chapter on Alexis and her condition, since some of you have read the TC books and know Alexis from there. But I'm sure the spells I included are some you may not recognize, so to save you from the research, I'll tell you here.**

**-Vivere Lapis: I made this one up, since I couldn't really find anything for this. Like it says in the chapter, it effects the victim much like as though they'd been petrified by a basilisk. Unlike petrification, the curse of Living Stone, slowly turns the victim into stone. There is a chance that the victim will still be able to move, thus the 'living stone' concept of the curse, but in these rare cases, the movement is very restricted. Vivere Lapis means 'live stone' in Latin.**

**-Conjunctivitis Curse: Gives the victim pink eye.**

**-Entrail-Expelling Cures: Pretty self-explanatory. Basically expels the victims entrails from their body.**

**-Knockback Jinx: Send a person flying back. In this case, there are some possible lasting effects that, when mixed with the other spells, could cause serious damage to Alexis.**

**-Jelly-Brain Jinx: Affects the victims mental health.**

**-Lycacomia Curse: "There are several ways to become a werewolf, they include […] being cursed by someone who you have wronged in some way – called Lycacomia Curse […]." –Arsenius Jigger, The Essential Defence Against the Dark Arts. Yup, this curse is a dark spell that can be used to induce lycanthropy. Don't kill me! And the quote came from the Harry Potter Wiki.**

**Also, sorry that this chapter was so late today. I didn't even have time to read over it, since I only got the chance to work on it a couple of hours ago, and that included looking through different curses and jinxes for what is affecting Alexis. I had a crazy week and am just glad that I was able to get this chapter up today, so do enjoy.**

**Also, no one has guessed who Keira's Slytherin cousin is yet. No worries, you'll find out when they go to Hogwarts.**


	10. Awareness

Chapter 9: Awareness

**July 1, 1998**

In the world between awakeness and sleep, Harry was barely listening to the muggle program on the telly as he felt Keira's fingers card through his hair. They were on the new, comfortable couch in the living room of Grimmauld Place, Keira reading a book while Harry lay with his head on her lap.

"You still have to tell me what you want for your birthday." Keira said suddenly, snapping Harry back into the waken world.

He groaned and turned onto his back to look up at her. "Why won't you accept the fact that I don't want anything?"

"Because it's your birthday, the only day of the year you have a right to be even just a little selfish." She told him with a smile. "I can't cook you dinner because Mrs. Weasley _insists_ she throw you a party."

Harry smiled at her pout. Keira had been disappointed when Molly Weasley had asked Harry a week ago about having a party at the recently re-constructed Burrow. He'd agreed, knowing the woman needed a reason to celebrate something with all that had been going on since the war. It amused Harry greatly to watch Keira try to help as much as she could, which was usually dismissed because of how busy Molly was with planning the part. He was happy she wanted to do something for his birthday, their first celebration together as a couple, but he wasn't so picky that he wanted her to do something over the top.

So he sat up to kiss her cheek. "I'll be happy with whatever you get me."

Keira sent him a meaningless glare and sighed. "Impossible man." She said, then let the smallest hint of a smile appear on her lips. "Quidditch stuff is too obvious, sweets are something you get a friend, not a boyfriend, and there are only a few kinds of books that you might actually want to read. And I'm not 'giving you myself'. That's so cheesy and we aren't at that point in our relationship."

Harry shook his head, smiling at her. "Do you have to get me something?"

"Yes. It's our first time celebrating something together." She told him, drawing random designs on his shoulder with a finger. "It's special."

He sighed and looked at Keira. "I'll think it over and make a list."

She smiled brightly at him and kissed his cheek. "Thank you Harry."

* * *

**July 8, 1998**

Harry sighed, sitting in the waiting room of St. Mungo's with Ron and Hermione. He felt bad that they rarely had any chances to hang out as of late, but with them and Harry himself in new relationships, plus everything else that was going on in their lives, it was hard to make time for each other.

The trio glanced up when they heard footsteps coming their way. George was heading right to them, a slight look of relief on his face.

"How's she doing?" Hermione asked.

"Better." George said. "At least from what we can tell. Her color is improving and she can breathe without magical stimulus." He sat down at the small table they were seated at. "Fred is looking better too, thank Merlin." He let out a relieved sigh.

"It must be difficult, seeing your twin and the woman you still love in such a state." Hermione commented.

Harry blinked and watched George's expression change from relief to a mixture of curiosity and heartache.

"Am I that obvious?" The older man asked.

"Only when you're around them." Hermione said, looking down slightly. "But you did give up your own happiness so that they could be together without regret."

"Fred and I always gave Alexis the choice. We showed our love for her, but let her choose. She chose Fred." He sighed softly and smiled, though to Harry, it appeared to be a smile filled with inner turmoil. "I had no say in the matter."

"George…."

All four of them froze for a moment, the Golden Trio looking behind George as the older red head turned to see Fred.

"Fred, it's nothing." George said, standing up. "Alexis loves you, and I'm happy that you're happy."

"She loves you too." Fred told him, frowning.

"Not in the way she loves you, and that's okay." George shook his head. "You two are getting married, don't worry about me. I'll get over her and find someone."

Fred's frown only deepened. In a few steps he was at George's side before dragging his twin off.

"Guess they have a few things to discuss." Ron said, scratching the back of his head nervously. "I knew George still had feelings for Alexis, but I didn't know Fred didn't know."

"Fred was concerned about making his relationship with Alexis work." Hermione said, leaning a bit against Ron. "That and the threat of war kept him preoccupied. Then as soon as the war is over, he worries that Alexis is going to make it."

"Thank Merlin for that Healer Geadias." Ron commented, Hermione nodding in agreement.

"Even with the whole Malfoy business?" Harry asked, surprised Ron would be positive about anyone associated with Malfoy.

Ron scowled. "Did you know Fred actually doesn't mind that git just sitting in Alexis' room?" He asked. "I mean, sure the guy just sits there, but his presence always bothers me."

"Malfoy never had any issues with the twins in school." Hermione pointed out to her boyfriend. "He only bothered us and Percy really."

"Still, he's a Malfoy!" Ron exclaimed.

"I don't mind him." Harry said.

Both Ron and Hermione looked at him in shock.

"Harry, this is Malfoy we're talking about." Ron said. "A Death Eater!"

"So? The war is over Ron and don't forget, Malfoy saved my life." Harry reminded him. "I spoke for the guy at his trial, why would I do that if I still hated his guts?"

"I can't believe your standing up for him! I thought you spoke for him at his trial because he saved your life. I thought your debt was due and you'd go back despising him like old times!"

"We're adults now Ron, it's time to grow up." Harry said, standing up. "Malfoy isn't as bad as we thought he was, and he's not the same guy we knew at Hogwarts. Maybe it's the time he's spending with Healer Geadias, maybe it's because he was actually given a second chance, I don't care. I'm over having a childhood rivalry with the guy." He told him before walking off to Alexis' room, hoping he'd be allowed inside.

* * *

**I'm so, so sorry about my recent absence. I had a busy spring break, than started a new class so I haven't been able to focus on JBM or IC much lately, but now I think I've balanced out my schedule a bit enough so that I can start doing weekly posts once more.**

**PLEASE READ THE NEXT CHAPTER (chapter 3) OF IT'S COMPLICATED IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ON WHAT IS GOING ON WITH ALEXIS! IT WILL NOT BE VERY WELL EXPLAINED IN THIS FIC.**

**Now I know that a few things would be happening by this chapter, like really finding out who Keira's cousin is, etc. That got pushed back because I didn't expect to take this long on getting to where we are now. I do promise that within the next 5 chapters, we'll see them back at Hogwarts, Keira's cousin will be revealed, and a canon character will return for a brief period.**

**It's Complicated will be uploaded on Thursday.**


	11. Awaken

****WARNING: If you want to know what is going on with Alexis, you will have to go and read the last chapter of **_**It's Complicated**_** from Thursday. I've stated before that **_**It's Complicated**_** and **_**Just Being Me**_** run side by side and it's very important to read both due to the fact that many things are connected between the two fics and you may not understand what's going on unless you follow both stories. I understand that some of you may not like Draco pairings, but this is really to understand what's going on, because I may not be able to explain what's going on without making a few mistakes. Reading last week's **_**It's Complicated**_** is VERY IMPORTANT because it goes over how Alexis goes through the primary stage of treatment, which is not discussed in this chapter. So please, at least go back to read that chapter at the very least, but do note that there will be other chapters like this for both stories, so it may be best to read both.****

* * *

Chapter 10: Awaken

**July 19, 1998**

Harry was glad to see Fred looking more human. Keira herself had commented that he looked nearly half dead over this past two and a half months since the end of the war. She'd been right, but now he had more color in his cheeks, his eyes had gotten back that teasing smile that had always been there since Harry had met the twins. He was glad that Fred was feeling better with each passing day, as Alexis visibly looked better every day.

They were talking with Fred now, the three of them alone with an unconscious Alexis and Healer Geadias. Looking at the young healer, Harry was still shocked that someone Alexis' age had so much experience and skill in a career field such as healing. It was admirable, even though he knew next to nothing about Wiccans. The young woman wasn't even 20 years old and yet she was an excellent healer who seemed to love her career.

"She's very strong willed, isn't she?" Keira asked, snapping Harry out of his thoughts.

"Who?" He asked, looking at her.

"Healer Geadias." She stated. "She's possibly risking her life to help a stranger."

Fred smiled, glancing at the sleeping woman. "I owe her everything." He commented. "As does Malfoy."

Harry blinked, remembering that Draco Malfoy was working under Healer Geadias as part of his community service. "He seems less…extreme lately. You think it has to do with her?"

Fred nodded. "He loves her."

Harry's eyes widened. "Seriously?"

"He comes and sits next to her every day he has community service." Fred explained, his thumb rubbing the back of Alexis' hand. "He's worried that she'll never wake up."

"You're quite observant." Keira commented, smiling at Fred.

"I don't do much else these days." He gave her a weary smile. "Ron's not too happy that I'm actually talking to the blonde, but that's Ron's issue." The red head shrugged. "Some thought he would've grown up a bit more because of the war."

"He has." Harry told him. "But part of him didn't want to be forced to grow up that much, so he's clinging onto this childhood hatred for Malfoy."

Fred chuckled, looking at the raven haired boy. "If any of us were forced to grow up, it's you Harry."

Green eyes turned away, his mouth opening to retort when the door opened. Harry turned to see the very blonde they'd been speaking of walk into the room.

"Malfoy." He nodded.

Draco Malfoy looked at him and nodded back in greeting, not saying a word, but Harry say him visually tense when Keira was suddenly up and giving the blonde a welcoming hug. Harry smiled a bit, glad that despite the stories she'd heard, along with her own witnessing of Malfoy's behavior in Hogwarts, she was willing to try to make friends with the blonde. Part of Harry was still reserved about trying to make amends, due to their history. During the visits Harry had made to the hospital, he and Malfoy had already ran into each other a few times and had butted heads. Harry knew it was just that old habits died hard, but he had a feeling that with Keira's help, he'd be more willing to put the past behind him and get over the war and what happened during it.

Green eyes watched as the blonde was released and he went to sit next to the young wiccan healer in silence, never having said a word. Now that Fred had claimed Malfoy loved her, Harry noticed the way the blonde looked at her with worry in his eyes. How he gave her hand a single squeeze with his own before letting go to close his eyes and listen to her breathing, just to be sure she still was.

He and Keira stayed for only a few more minutes, Harry glancing at Malfoy and Healer Geadias as they left.

"Fred was right." He said when they were walking down the hall. "Malfoy loves her."

"And love does wonderful things." Keira said, taking his hand in hers as she smiled at him.

He smiled back, tugging her closer to his side gently.

* * *

Back in room 4173, Fred Weasley was moving hair out of his fiancé's face. "I owe Healer Geadias everything." He stated, noting that the only other conscious person in the room was taken by surprise at his voice.

"She's just that kind of person." Malfoy drawled, glancing at her. "Willing to risk everything for a stranger. That's why she became a Healer."

"She tell you that?"

"No, but one can tell when they spend enough time with her." A sigh escaped the younger man's lips and after a moment of hesitation, he allowed himself to take her hand again. "And I don't deserve her. I never will."

Fred looked at him, feeling sorry for Malfoy. "Why don't you two talk about this before you give up?" He offered.

Malfoy shook his head, closing his eyes again. "It's pointless. No good would come from my feelings for her."

"And you think she'd agree?" Fred asked, feeling shocked.

Silver eyes glared at him, but before the blonde could speak, or yell, a faint noise coming from the bed caught there attention.

"Alexis?" Fred asked, standing up so he could lean over the hospital bed and look at his fiancé clearly.

Her eyes fluttered open slowly and she smiled. "Morning." Her voice was raw and quiet, barely a whisper, from lack of use.

Fred smiled widely and kissed her forehead as Draco stood and went to the door, calling for a medi-witch or Healer. Once he saw some heading for the room, he went to Healer Geadias' side.

Fred refused to move from Alexis' side as tests were done on her condition. He saw Keira's mother, Healer Hale, appear and shoo away some of the bustling medi-witches so that she could ask Alexis how she was feeling.

"Fine, though stiff." Alexis told her. "I think that's mostly just being restricted to a bed for so long." Bright blue eyes looked at Fred and she smiled, reaching out her hand for him. He took it without question, holding it to his chest as he sat right beside her bed. "Sorry I made you worry."

He shook his head. "Don't even worry about it." Fred smiled at her. "I'm just happy you're okay."

She smiled up at him more as Healer Hale spoke. "You should rest more. It will be a while before we're sure you're able to move around again."

Alexis nodded. "Thank you Healer." She said.

Contessa Hale smiled. "It's not me you should thank." She said, and turned to look over to where Draco was with Healer Geadias. "Mr. Malfoy, is something wrong?"

Fred glanced over to the blonde as the younger man looked up.

"She won't wake up."

* * *

**Sorry that this is a day late. Post-Easter chaos happened in my house, but I won't take the time to write it out so that I can get this posted quicker for you. But earlier today I was listening to a few older CDs on my way to campus for my only class and "I'm With You" by Avril Lavigne, a song I haven't heard in a few years it seems, came on and the first thing I think about is the process of how Lennox (Healer Geadias) goes about Alexis' treatment. The lyrics just seemed like Alexis was singing. I don't know if it's just my over-active imagination, but if you listen to it while reading the latest chapter of **_**It's Complicated**_**, maybe you'll see the connection? It's up to you. Again, I recommend you go and read that chapter if you want to know more about how Alexis was healed.**

**Also, NO **_**JUST BEING ME**_** NEXT WEEK. Only going to post the next **_**It's Complicated**_** chapter. The week after, I'm going to try for a double upload week.**


	12. Celebrate

Chapter 11: Celebrate

**July 31, 1998**

The moment Harry had arrived at the Burrow was followed by a whirlwind of chaos. He had only a moment to say hello to someone before being swept off again. He was glad that this only lasted half an hour before he finally had a chance to say hello to the people he was most glad to see.

Kiera kissed him on the cheek with a smile and wished him a happy birthday.

"Thanks." He said softly. "Wish Alexis could have made it though."

"Mother assigned her bed rest for a reason Harry. She's still recovering."

"I know." Harry sighed softly, but smiled at her. "At least she's okay."

Kiera smiled back and took his hand. "Come one, you have more people to see."

Harry faked a groan as Kiera dragged him towards a group of people around their age, but smiled when they approached the group. He blinked before smiling widely, recognizing an old face.

"Oliver!" He called, letting go of Keira's hand to approach the scott and the woman with him. "What are you doing here?"

"We're here to celebrate your birthday of course!" Oliver Wood laughed. "By the way, this is Annabeth Horton. She's an on-location Healer. Saved my arse when I fell off my broom during a match and I haven't left her alone since."

Annabeth rolled her eyes, though her cheeks were a light, rosy pink.

"Poor girl." Harry chuckled and shook Annabeth's hand. "It's nice to meet you."

"Like wise."

"And who's this Harry? Last I heard you and Ginny were dating!" Oliver asked, smiling at Kiera.

"Kiera Hale. And yes, she's my girlfriend. Me and Ginny were before the war. Things had changed after the battle." Harry explained, trailing off for a moment.

Kiera patted his hand. "She was hoping to talk to you, by the way."

Harry blinked and looked at her. "Oh." He blinked again and nodded before smiling for a moment before leaving Kiera with Oliver and Annabeth to look for Ginny.

* * *

About fifteen minutes later found Harry sitting in the drawing room of the Burrow with Ginny, everyone else outside or in the kitchen on the other side of the ground floor.

"So…what did you want to talk about?" Harry asked, glancing at her.

Ginny looked at him and sighed. "We never really got to talk about us after the war." She pointed out, and suddenly Harry knew exactly where this conversation was going. "And then suddenly you're dating Kiera, of all girls. You didn't even know she existed before the Battle!"

"Ginny I'm sorry, it just happened." Harry said. "I'm truly sorry we never talked before things settled down, but it all just happened so fast. Kiera and I….there's something there. Something that I don't feel between you and me…"

"So what was all that in your sixth year?" Ginny asked, on her feet and pacing. "If there's this thing that you don't feel between us, then why did you even kiss me in the first place?"

"I don't know!" Harry sighed, burying his face in his hands for a moment. "Maybe I was just trying to be protective in a way that I thought was right, but Ginny…you're still important to me."

"Really?" She turned on him, glaring. "And how so? How am I important to you exactly?!"

"You're…you're like Hermione and Alexis." He said, looking away. "When you were dating Dean, I thought I was jealous, but I didn't recognize that maybe it wasn't jealousy. When Alexis and Fred finally started dating, I'd been waiting for it to happen since fourth year, I knew they were meant for each other. Ron and Hermione, anyone could see that coming! I knew with them that there were with who they were meant to be with."

"So you got between me and Dean because you think he's not right for me?"

"I don't know Ginny!" Harry looked at her, feeling sorrow and remorse that he'd done this, confused her like this. "I'm sorry, I am. I never meant to screw anything up for you. There were just….too many mixed signals."

There was silence for a few moments, tension in the air and a part of Harry wouldn't be surprised if she slapped him. Or hexed him. Yeah, she'd most likely hex him.

But then, a bit of tension lifted.

"I'm happy for you Harry, I am. But I'm angry with myself for letting it happen. I should have known something like this would happen. Your life has been crazy since you were a baby, that's not your fault." Ginny paused and sighed, turning her back to Harry. "Kiera came and talked to me, right after the Malfoy trials. She told me that you two were getting close and practically dating. At first I didn't want to believe it but…" She sighed again and looked at him. "You need some sort of normalcy in your life. For most of my life, you've been Harry Potter: Boy Who Lived. I have to admit, part of me held you up to that standard since I've met you. Kiera doesn't care about fame or power or anything. She sees the true person you can be. And that's what you deserve. If she makes you happy, and I can tell that she does, I can live with that. Just please, don't get between me and a date again."

Harry smiled sheepishly. "I won't. Promise."

Ginny smiled softly and shook her head. "Go find you girlfriend. She was convinced I'd bat boogey you."

Harry swallowed nervously suddenly. He hadn't thought about that.

* * *

The rest of the day went well. Harry stayed close to Kiera as he opened gifts, ate amongst friends and those he thought of as family, and even flew loops around her during a mock Quidditch game at the Weasley family pitch. Harry's team had won, and it felt great to play with Oliver again.

After cake, most of the party attendees went home, bidding Harry one last Happy Birthday before appariting off. Most of those who stayed were those closer to Harry's own age. Class mates from Hogwarts, Oliver and Annabeth, Luna and Ginny. They'd light a small bonfire a ways from the Burrow, sitting in a circle around it.

Kiera sat between Harry's legs, leaning her back against his chest as everyone told stories. Ron told tall tales of their adventures while hiding and searching for Horcuxes. Oliver told the full story of how he and Annabeth had met, as well of a few different stories of games he'd been in so far. Harry was the most interested in his telling of their last game, against the Falmouth Falcons, and how the Puddlemere seeker wouldn't be able to play this season or the next.

Slowly people started to trickle away from the circle. Harry nodded to Oliver and Annabeth as they left, smiled knowingly when Ron and Hermione headed for the Burrow after a few rounds of hushed whispers, and watched in silence as Ginny left the fire with Dean, possibly to talk.

Before he knew it, it was time to bid Kiera goodbye. He smiled when they reached the end of the path leading away from the Burrow, just a few feet away from being outside of the anti-apparition charms.

"Today was fun." He said softly after kissing her cheek. "The first uninterrupted birthday party I've ever had."

Kiera smiled. "Well I'm glad you liked it."

"You know…I never got a present from you." He pointed out, raising an eyebrow.

Kiera smiled at him and kissed him quick. "You did, you just won't see it until you get home." And with that, she stepped outside of the wards and waved before appirating away.

* * *

When Harry finally returned home, a bag full of shrunken presents, he paused just feet from the floo. By the window, perched on a perch that had not been there before, was a small, molted owl with piercing yellow eyes.

Hanging from the perch was a piece of parchment on a string. He grabbed it, slipping it off the end of the perch, and read it as he gently stroked the bird's head.

'_Happy Birthday Harry. Treat her well. –Kiera'_

* * *

**So, the reason why this is so late is because, as most fellow college students should know, it's the time for finals. Mine are next week, but all my professors have been laying assignment upon assignment on us these past few weeks, all my free time is spent sleeping. I'm sorry this took so late, it was ready before my schedule became so jam packed, but then again, that was also when the seen with Ginny and Harry wasn't included. I realized that I hadn't addressed the issue there yet, and thought that it would be better to do it now, in this chapter, than when they are at Hogwarts.**

**Do NOT expect a chapter from me next week, and possibly not the week after. My work schedule will be changing now that the semester is about to end, and my family and I know a lot of people graduating this year, my sister included, so I'm still going to be busy until about the middle of June or so. Thank you for your patience.**


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